Compline - Chill Out by Candlelight

Whether you come for the atmosphere or the port and hot chocolate, it’s the ideal late-night chill out

Even if you’ve heard of evensongs and eucharists, Compline may well be a new one for you.  It’s an ancient form of night prayer going back over a thousand years and is not just a great way to chill out during a hectic week but also a really good place to get to know other Chapel-goers.

There are two types – ‘Compline by Candlelight’, which is held in Chapel and often led by the Compline Singers or occasionally the Gents themselves, and ‘Extreme Compline’, which goes out and about somewhere interesting.  There have been Extreme Compline on the river in punts and from the tops of the different towers, on beaches and hill-tops, even in Professor Griffin’s astronomical observatory on the Madingley Road.

Everyone can sing if they want (other than the anthem) so it’s much more participatory than evensong and afterwards there’s port, hot chocolate and chatting in the Chaplain’s Room, so it’s a fun, social thing too.

Compline is often led by the Compline Singers who are a voluntary group made up from Johnians and their friends.  It’s low commitment but high standard, so if you’re looking for a choir that you can just turn up and sing a quick anthem after one rehearsal, this is the one for you and let Frank DiTraglia have your details.